Of Course Not!
Friday’s Verse:
From Proverbs 15:1 ESV
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
If you’ve ever been online, you’d probably come across ads for specialty T-shirts. Some are funny, others political. You name a cause, and somewhere in the world of the internet, there is a t-shirt you can buy to support it. Personally, I like the various 250th Birthday for America shirts - no American should be mad that we’ve made it to two hundred and fifty years as a nation. There are political ones that have made me crack up. Some of my favorite political ones include Bill the Cat from the old Bloom County comic.
On Thursday morning at the cancer center, I witnessed a man wearing a t-shirt with a rather funny but very political saying. I kind of guessed that some people assembled at the center would not be happy with such a t-shirt. While I laughed, I could imagine people fuming inside. All of which got me thinking: Should anyone go out of their way to make people angry?
The easy answer is “Of course not!”
In a hospital or cancer center setting, where people are often carrying fear, grief, and exhaustion, a political joke on a shirt is more than bad taste; it can add offense to suffering. Proverbs teaches that gentle words de-escalate conflict, while harsh words feed it. The Christian response is not to match insult with insult, but to answer with calm truth and charity.
Lutherans know that our tongues are not neutral tools. They are gifts to be used in love of neighbor, for encouragement, consolation, and honesty. So when we see speech that tears down, we do not need to become harsh ourselves; we can simply say, “That’s not appropriate,” and let our restraint bear witness to Christ.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, guard my tongue and my heart. When I am tempted to answer sin with more sin, teach me to speak gently, truthfully, and in love. Make me a peacemaker in a world full of harsh words. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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